'Readers want the victims’ stories': the writers exposing sexual abuse in France

France's response to #MeToo was unenthusiastic but its attitude towards sex is coming under increasing scrutiny in a wave of memoirs alleging abuse

It was the fate of another girl that made Vanessa Springora realise how little things had changed. In 2018, newspapers reported that a 28-year-old man had lured an 11-year-old to his home in the Paris suburbs. Though the girl's parents had reported rape, the charge was reduced as the girl was deemed to have consented because the man hadn't used threats or force. I was disgusted," says Springora. It was then that she decided on the title of her memoir - Le Consentement (Consent).

Springora first met the prize-winning author Gabriel Matzneff at a literary dinner in 1986. She was 13 years old, and her mother, who worked in publishing, could not afford a babysitter. Matzneff, the guest of honour, was 50. Over the next year, the two embarked on a passionate affair: he fought for her mother's blessing, helped her with her studies and wrote of their burning love in his published journals. At least, that was his version.